What to Know About TURP for P... Health Article

This type of surgery only removes some of the cancer. It doesn’t cure cancer. It is done when a radical prostatectomy isn’t an option and to relieve symptoms. For instance, it may be done when a man cannot urinate. This is a less common choice for treating prostate cancer.

For this surgery, you will get medication to numb the penis. You may be put to sleep by taking an anesthesia. Then your doctor uses a scope to go through the urethra until he or she can see the prostate. This scope is called a resectoscope. Using this tool, which has a small loop on the end, your doctor is able to cut out the parts of the prostate that are blocking the flow of urine. While you’re still sleeping, your doctor will place a small tube for draining urine, called a catheter, into your penis. It will stay in place for a few days. The operation takes about 1 hour.

You don’t need an incision for this type of surgery. But you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days and you may be out of work for up to 2 weeks. You may feel burning when you urinate for a while after the surgery. You may also have blood in your urine. These should go away.

Having a TURP can make getting one kind of treatment for prostate cancer more risky. If you have a TURP, it will be more difficult for your doctor to use internal radiation. This is also called brachytherapy or interstitial seed therapy. Once you’ve had a TURP, if you have internal radiation too, your risk for incontinence is greater.